Florida canvas company closes factory

Posted on January 20th, 2009

Recent cuts in production by manufacturers have hit everyone in the industry, from dealers down to accessories makers, including Boatswain’s Locker in Jacksonville, Fla., which makes canvas boat adornments.

The company was hard hit last summer when Brunswick said it planned to close 17 boat plants by the end of 2009 in an effort to save $300 million. Without the orders from Brunswick, Boatswain’s Locker pared its staff from 50 to a dozen just before Thanksgiving.

Boatswain’s Locker shut down the 10,000-square-foot manufacturing plant it expanded into 10 years earlier and moved into the small shop across the street where it had produced fabric accessories since 1979.